Sam came to us from Alabama and wanted to look into missions in Haiti. He was working on starting a new mission and hoped to gain expertise or ideas while here for a month. He began by helping HHM renew their NGO status which is done annually. He then did some projections on finances, a future business plan, and teaching us a bit about marketing. Once he had done what he could for HHM he visited with most of the missions in the local area to pick up ideas from them.

Jonathan was a med student from Canada and spent 3 weeks with us learning from Dr. Jim and the nurses. We enjoyed his company while he learned some things to further his education.

Kemuel, whose parents reside in Florida, came to us from California where he attended Loma Linda medical school. He not only spent time helping and learning in the clinic but was able to visit some friends from his church.

Brittany who had come to visit us in her pre med years for 3 months came back to spend a few weeks now that she is in med school at Loma Linda. She enjoyed renewing her friendship with Matasha Pecht who was just coming on when she left last time.

Matthew, a premed student from a small Adventist university in Tennessee, spent 3 weeks at HHM learning the ropes as well. He is hoping to be accepted into Loma Linda medical school as well.

Aleece Diaz once again brought her cheerful presence down for a few week’s work. She is in PA school and hopes to join us fulltime when finished. We always enjoy having her!

Matasha Finishes her Service at HHM

We were sad to see Matasha Pecht leave after nearly a year of service with HHM. She has trained her replacement well and left us in good stead having finished her charge. She will be going back to a different life as she searches for a new job and prepares for her marriage to her fiance Justin. Life will certainly change dramatically as she begins this new chapter of her life.

Berlange Brings Her New Baby

Berlange our patient with brittle bone disease brought in her new baby. They both did great at Hopital University Mirebalais during her several months’ stay. Delivery was a few weeks ago and the baby although premature was prepared in advance and did very well being discharged quickly from their NICU. Thus far there is no evidence that the baby has the same disease but Berlange’s mother said that her disease did not become apparent till she was around 4-5 years old. Many of you prayed for this mama and baby and God has answered your prayers for good health. Thank you Lord!

New Instagram Account for HHM

In an effort to stay up to speed on technology with the younger generation, HHM has begun an Instagram account. Those of you who follow such can find us at: https://www.instagram.com/haitihealthministries/

Pediatric Emergencies Abound

Our emergency department has had more than its normal share of children the last couple months. We had a preemie arrive one Saturday with respiratory distress that required air evacuation to Hopital Bernard Mevs. We have had 2 children with constant seizures on the same day. One needed a medication adjustment but one of them had meningitis and needed hospitalization. Unfortunately the helicopter was not flying that day so he was sent to St. Croix where he received partial treatment of the infection. When he was discharged we continued his treatment to fully treat the problem sufficiently. One day Sue Witt from Christianville brought in 2 preemie twins born in the village that morning to a woman with severe mental disorders who has no family nearby. The babies were having mild respiratory distress which causes them often to use too much energy in breathing so that they cannot feed sufficiently to thrive. The helicopter was available to fly them to a NICU at St. Boniface in Fond des Blancs. Miss Sue took them in after they were larger (about 2 pounds at birth).

Malnutrition on the Rise

We have had several new cases of severe malnutrition this last few months. We are blessed to continue the relationship with Christianville where we receive eggs weekly to distribute to these children. We also buy milk and beans to give them. Normally they improve rapidly on a high protein diet, but we had one case that required hospitalization. The malnutrition is almost always a result of not breastfeeding from birth. In some cases, the mother has died, is very ill, or has abandoned the baby. In some cases the mother and baby did not get a good start at birth with breast feeding and gave up trying and mother’s milk dried up. Once they see they cannot afford baby formula they resort to white colored water (rice, flour) which leads to malnutrition rapidly. Nicolas our translator also does breast feeding training. His years of translating for Sally Todd, pediatric nurse practitioner, has given him unique experience with breast feeding which helps our patients now that Sally has departed. Each newborn does a class with Nicolas so they can get a good start and mom can understand the importance of breast feeding for the first year and if possible one year after that. Donations to HHM cover the cost of milk and beans as well as partial cost of baby formula for children whose mothers CANNOT breast feed anymore. We encourage mothers or caregivers to pay for part of the cost of formula to teach responsibility in the care of babies.

Several Groups of Day Workers Have Volunteered

We are blessed to have partnerships with several groups from nearby who send workers to help for a day or two. We get help in counting pills, painting and doing odd jobs. It is a blessing to us to have this help! In August our receptionist Keren went to the US and liked it so much she decided to stay. We would have been severely strained if neighboring ministries had not stepped in to volunteer for us. Pray for us to hire a good replacement.

ZIKA Still Surfacing Occasionally

Although Zika has not been the challenge that Chikungunya was a few years back when nearly everyone got it, it is leaving behind a legacy. We are seeing occasional microcephaly in the clinic. We have a UFl lab nearby at Christianville who is checking our microcephalics to see if any are Zika related. We have several patients with it but not all are in the appropriate age range. Zika unlike chikungunya only gives symptoms to about 20% of those affected by it so it is possible to be ill and not know it, complicating the problem of not knowing which pregnant women may have babies with complications of the disease.

Prayer Requests

1. Land deed issue is still simmering. Please continue to pray for God to protect the land from those who want it for monetary gain.

2. Jim hopes to begin training a new Haitian nurse practitioner student in October. Pray that all will go well.

3. Prayer for a new receptionist who will be reliable and a good worker.

4. Thank you for praying for God to send replacements for those of us getting along in years.

5. Elections coming up! Pray for good results that are not in dispute and no violence. Thanks!!!

I Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn’t wasted.